Which timeframe is better to find a good selection of options to choose from for a 2BR rental in brooklyn? I am not necessarily looking for the best deal, more looking for the quality of options available to me. I can start a lease anywhere between Nov 1 and Feb 1.

Those 3-4 months are about the slowest in the market. That does a few things. It will hinder selection as not nearly as much comes on the market or is vacant at that time. But it also slows the market down. It is more likely that any given apartment will be on the market longer, and also be available for a lower price.

That said, a good apartment at a good price won't last long. It may take it twice as long to move, but that could still mean in a week or two.

I think Nov 1 would be better for selection.

I started looking in December 2010 for rental to begin in January or February 2011. There was very little inventory, and the inventory that was available was stale and not well-priced. Second go around I started looking in January 2012 for start date of April 2012, and I was delighted with the selection. I would follow whatever advice Inonada provides; I found him to be an excellent resource as I was going through the process both times.

Yes - I thought you were paying attention! MCR came looking for full-time rental at the end of 2010; MCR did not heed inonada's advice and was too embarrassed to admit it so posted experience some details of experience as foolishrenter; others had already been posted as MCR, but without revealing identity of the building. Because of unpleasant experience with first rental, MCR moved in spring of 2011 and had a new set of questions, but asked them as NYC Novice because she just wanted answers without any reference to prior set of questions. Note that MCR actually did consider purchasing the 1 BR in Beekman Regent under the "if you can't beat them, join them" school of thought, but continued research, which was disclosed pretty much as it was discovered, led MCR to conclude, as her gut had already told her, that this would not be a good use of money for her. The part that had never been disclosed by MCR or NYCNovice is that we do own at The Phillips Club, and had been using that as our pied-a-terre for 2009 and 2010. That has been one of the best purchases we have ever made from pure consumption standpoint; it had not even occurred to me to research The Phillips Club on SE because we knew people there and had experience with it prior to purchasing, but in terms of what is posted on SE about The Phillips Club, I find any discussion of it as an investment simply ludicrous. It never occurred to us that it would be an investment.

Yes - check out "confessions of MCR." My father did have hip surgery and is doing well. He highly recommends his surgeon (one Dr. Bergen in Chicago). He does spend most of his time in Hobe Sound, though he can occasionally be found at the family home in Grosse Pointe or at family home in Charlotte, VT on Lake Champlain during these hot months. In my initial posts I wanted to maintain anonymity, which is why I had three separate names, but it just didn't feel right. There were some posters with whom I wanted to have an ongoing dialogue, and it felt creepy to have them responding to my different names without knowing it was same person.

It is lovely, and thank you for sentiments about my Dad. He was just cleared for golf last week! Pretty amazing.

Looking at our buildings renewal rates last winter, they were modest increases, then April came with big jumps.